Barry McLarnon 🇨🇦
@bdmclarnon.bsky.social
Retired engineer (electrical/communications), frequent N95 user, organic gardener, heat pump owner, green energy + clean air advocate. Like: hiking, canoeing, geocaching, wine, food, music (esp: singer-songwriters), Linux.
Our backyard bird feeder, for one thing. This week we have an unusual visitor, a Fox Sparrow who has stopped for a few days on its way south. He (or she, very difficult to tell with this species) defends the feeder very aggressively and chases away all comers, except for bluejays.
November 18, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Our backyard bird feeder, for one thing. This week we have an unusual visitor, a Fox Sparrow who has stopped for a few days on its way south. He (or she, very difficult to tell with this species) defends the feeder very aggressively and chases away all comers, except for bluejays.
In a conservation area, a short walk from where I live in Ottawa... on October 29, the day before the deluge arrived. In the foreground, there lurks a wood duck, and seconds after I took this pic, I got photo-bombed by a chickadee.
November 1, 2025 at 5:00 PM
In a conservation area, a short walk from where I live in Ottawa... on October 29, the day before the deluge arrived. In the foreground, there lurks a wood duck, and seconds after I took this pic, I got photo-bombed by a chickadee.
Mud Lake (west Ottawa), on an afternoon walk today.
October 30, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Mud Lake (west Ottawa), on an afternoon walk today.
Today is Sun Day, and the sun is shining shining brightly here in Ottawa and, it appears, in most parts of southern and eastern Ontario. So let's check the grid... we're getting 1.9% of our electricity from solar, and a whopping 29% from gas.
The Ford government is mortgaging our future!
The Ford government is mortgaging our future!
September 21, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Today is Sun Day, and the sun is shining shining brightly here in Ottawa and, it appears, in most parts of southern and eastern Ontario. So let's check the grid... we're getting 1.9% of our electricity from solar, and a whopping 29% from gas.
The Ford government is mortgaging our future!
The Ford government is mortgaging our future!
I spotted an interesting visitor in the backyard garden today: a White Admiral butterfly, resting on a cherry tomato plant. Butterflies have not been abundant around here this summer, except for Cabbage White butterflies, which attack brassica crops and are major pests.
August 8, 2025 at 1:25 AM
I spotted an interesting visitor in the backyard garden today: a White Admiral butterfly, resting on a cherry tomato plant. Butterflies have not been abundant around here this summer, except for Cabbage White butterflies, which attack brassica crops and are major pests.
Measured this in my front yard in Britannia this morning at about 11am. Retreated indoors where we have air purifiers running and the PM2.5 / AQI was 4.6 / 19. Aside from the smoke and heat, the mosquitoes were after me!
July 14, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Measured this in my front yard in Britannia this morning at about 11am. Retreated indoors where we have air purifiers running and the PM2.5 / AQI was 4.6 / 19. Aside from the smoke and heat, the mosquitoes were after me!
The AQHI has jumped up to 7, so it's getting into the hazardous zone. We were just out picking up some groceries, and the haze and smell of smoke was quite noticeable. An N95 or equivalent respirator-type mask works wonders if you need to be outdoors!
July 14, 2025 at 2:49 PM
The AQHI has jumped up to 7, so it's getting into the hazardous zone. We were just out picking up some groceries, and the haze and smell of smoke was quite noticeable. An N95 or equivalent respirator-type mask works wonders if you need to be outdoors!
Here's the picture in Ontario at noon today. There's plenty of sun, but solar is providing only a paltry 1.5% of the total. Our wretched provincial government immediately killed development of renewable energy when they were first elected in 2018, and the travesty continues.
July 12, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Here's the picture in Ontario at noon today. There's plenty of sun, but solar is providing only a paltry 1.5% of the total. Our wretched provincial government immediately killed development of renewable energy when they were first elected in 2018, and the travesty continues.
Most of southern and eastern Ontario is sunny today. At noon, only 1.5% of Ontario's electricity was coming from solar, while a whopping 25.2% was from gas. The Ford government, acting on behalf of fossil fuel interests, sabotaged development of renewable energy and locked us into gas for decades.
July 12, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Most of southern and eastern Ontario is sunny today. At noon, only 1.5% of Ontario's electricity was coming from solar, while a whopping 25.2% was from gas. The Ford government, acting on behalf of fossil fuel interests, sabotaged development of renewable energy and locked us into gas for decades.
We had a memorable visit to this impressive structure on a rainy day in October 2014.
July 10, 2025 at 6:31 PM
We had a memorable visit to this impressive structure on a rainy day in October 2014.
Happy Summer Solstice!
There are numerous (read: way too many) grey squirrels (which also come in black) around here, so it was unusual to see this red squirrel chillin' on our deck railing.
There are numerous (read: way too many) grey squirrels (which also come in black) around here, so it was unusual to see this red squirrel chillin' on our deck railing.
June 20, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Happy Summer Solstice!
There are numerous (read: way too many) grey squirrels (which also come in black) around here, so it was unusual to see this red squirrel chillin' on our deck railing.
There are numerous (read: way too many) grey squirrels (which also come in black) around here, so it was unusual to see this red squirrel chillin' on our deck railing.
It was pretty small scale. The tomatoes and basil don't like our typical winter basement temperature (13-14°C) so we set up a mini-greenhouse to keep them happy. We also used LED lights for the first time (we've used fluorescent lights for growing seedlings in spring for many years).
May 16, 2025 at 6:30 PM
It was pretty small scale. The tomatoes and basil don't like our typical winter basement temperature (13-14°C) so we set up a mini-greenhouse to keep them happy. We also used LED lights for the first time (we've used fluorescent lights for growing seedlings in spring for many years).
I recently finished reading The Last American Road Trip by @sarahkendzior.bsky.social, and loved it. It's a whimsical journey, mostly off the beaten paths, and it's chock full of keen insights and interesting historical vignettes. It is no mere travelogue, however...
May 12, 2025 at 8:13 PM
I recently finished reading The Last American Road Trip by @sarahkendzior.bsky.social, and loved it. It's a whimsical journey, mostly off the beaten paths, and it's chock full of keen insights and interesting historical vignettes. It is no mere travelogue, however...
May the Fourth be with you! View looking northwest from one of the windows of our house in Ottawa this evening.
May 5, 2025 at 1:19 AM
May the Fourth be with you! View looking northwest from one of the windows of our house in Ottawa this evening.
The guy in the hardhat looks unimpressed. It actually reminded me of this iconic photo from the Oka Crisis in 1990.
April 13, 2025 at 3:00 AM
The guy in the hardhat looks unimpressed. It actually reminded me of this iconic photo from the Oka Crisis in 1990.
Here's a pic of ours in west Ottawa, taken moments ago.
April 8, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Here's a pic of ours in west Ottawa, taken moments ago.
"April is the cruelest month" - T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
I'm thinking back to more pleasant times a year ago today, when we were down by the St. Lawrence getting ready to view the total eclipse of the sun.
I'm thinking back to more pleasant times a year ago today, when we were down by the St. Lawrence getting ready to view the total eclipse of the sun.
April 8, 2025 at 2:42 PM
"April is the cruelest month" - T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
I'm thinking back to more pleasant times a year ago today, when we were down by the St. Lawrence getting ready to view the total eclipse of the sun.
I'm thinking back to more pleasant times a year ago today, when we were down by the St. Lawrence getting ready to view the total eclipse of the sun.
Luckily I don't have to go anywhere today. Here's the view from my kitchen window an hour ago.
April 8, 2025 at 1:48 PM
Luckily I don't have to go anywhere today. Here's the view from my kitchen window an hour ago.
"April is the cruelest month" - T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
The view from our dining room window in Ottawa this morning.
The view from our dining room window in Ottawa this morning.
April 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
"April is the cruelest month" - T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land
The view from our dining room window in Ottawa this morning.
The view from our dining room window in Ottawa this morning.
Not shown: his pitchfork.
April 6, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Not shown: his pitchfork.
Timeline cleanser: sunset at Britannia Beach in Ottawa, a year ago today.
March 28, 2025 at 12:59 AM
Timeline cleanser: sunset at Britannia Beach in Ottawa, a year ago today.
Tonight's dinner: some delectable chinook salmon from BC, roasted Canadian potatoes, and stir-fried veggies from Canada and Mexico. We drink Canadian wine with our dinner quite often, but on this occasion we opted for a Chardonnay from South Africa.
March 21, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Tonight's dinner: some delectable chinook salmon from BC, roasted Canadian potatoes, and stir-fried veggies from Canada and Mexico. We drink Canadian wine with our dinner quite often, but on this occasion we opted for a Chardonnay from South Africa.
Well, our timing was good... we visited this unique library last October while hiking & biking in the area, just a few weeks before the excrement hit the fan. Here's my wife with a foot in each country. The few minutes we spent in the US will be our last visit for a long, long time.
March 21, 2025 at 2:47 AM
Well, our timing was good... we visited this unique library last October while hiking & biking in the area, just a few weeks before the excrement hit the fan. Here's my wife with a foot in each country. The few minutes we spent in the US will be our last visit for a long, long time.
This winter we improvised a little indoor "victory garden", growing lettuce, basil, and dwarf tomatoes. It's been quite successful and we plan to scale it up and get an earlier start next winter. We're now planting some seeds for outdoor transplanting, starting with kale and parsley.
March 16, 2025 at 2:29 PM
This winter we improvised a little indoor "victory garden", growing lettuce, basil, and dwarf tomatoes. It's been quite successful and we plan to scale it up and get an earlier start next winter. We're now planting some seeds for outdoor transplanting, starting with kale and parsley.
The Mad King of Amerika may have given the colour orange a bad name, but I do love my Sunshine Orange Subaru Crosstrek. With the temperature hitting 17°C today (according to our backyard weather station), I did some cleanup on the driveway and washed all that accumulated winter grime off.
March 15, 2025 at 8:38 PM
The Mad King of Amerika may have given the colour orange a bad name, but I do love my Sunshine Orange Subaru Crosstrek. With the temperature hitting 17°C today (according to our backyard weather station), I did some cleanup on the driveway and washed all that accumulated winter grime off.